In-line skating has become a very popular sport. People of all ages use in-line skates for leisure, exercise and competitive sports such as hockey. However, avid in-line skaters do not usually use their skates at home. Rather, they typically carry them to a park that has appropriate conditions such as asphalt paths. The difficulty is that in-line skates are bulky and difficult to handle when not skating.
Some people even use in-line skates as a combined form of exercise and transportation around the city--much like a bicycle. However, many stores, restaurants, and other business do not allow people to wear in-line skates on their premises. As a result, people must carry their shoes while they are skating, which can be burdensome.
Furthermore, people that are avid in-line skaters also tend to have an interest in ice skating. For example, many children that play ice hockey in the winter might also play street hockey with in-line skates in the summer. Ice skates are also difficult to handle when carrying them to an ice-skating rink.
People have designed various types carriers in an effort to make carrying in-line or ice skates more manageable. For example, one device for carrying in-line skates has a pair of channel irons sized to receive the entire length of the in-line skate blade. A handle is attached to the channel irons and extends upward. The handle is taller than the combined height of the boot and the blade.
The difficulty with such a device is that it is bulky and difficult to store. Additionally, such a bulky device cannot be carried with the person while they are skating. As a result, it must be left attended and is easily stolen. Another shortcoming is that such a device is adaptable to carry ice skates. Thus, an avid skater would need two carriers, one for ice-skates and one for in-line skates.
Other people have designed boot carriers. However, many of these boot carriers have a flat surface on which the sole of the boot can rest. Such a carrier is not configured to securely hold a boot that has a blade such as in-line skates or ice skates. Other boot carriers are merely composed from straps that can be difficult to put on the boots. Furthermore, such straps can become easily tangled.
There are also carriers that are configured to carry ice skates. However, ice-skate carriers are typically long and define slots that receive the entire length of the skate blade.
Such ice-skate carriers are not appropriate for in-line skates. The reason is that blades for in-line skates are large and bulky. A corresponding carrier that is configured to receive the length of an in-line skate blade also would be large and bulky. Such a carrier would be heavy, difficult to manage, and defeat the purpose of having a carrier. Also, such slots would be so large that they could not also accommodate ice-skate blades. Again, an avid skater would require two carriers, one for their ice skates and one for their in-line skates.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a carrier that has slots sized to receive in-line skate blades, but is still lightweight, compact, and easy to carry. There is a further need in the art for an in-line skate carrier that a person can easily carry while they are skating. Such a carrier might also allow a person to carry their street shoes while they are skating. There is a further need in the art for a carrier that is versatile and allows a person to carry either in-line skates or ice skates.